Thursday, June 2, 2011

Scans and chemos, oh my!

Yeah, that pesky CT scan was yesterday.  So Tuesday night I had to drink the barium.  I got vanilla because that usually seems to be agreeable.  It was disgusting.  My guts hated it and expelled gas and output all night.  Then I had to drink more in the morning.  Blech. 

They make you drink another cup in the hospital too, right before the scan, so when the guy asked me what flavor I wanted, I said, "Oh, anything BUT vanilla."  He ended up bringing a crystal light concoction that if I'd had to drink any more than a little cup, would have been all over the floor.  As it was, I almost yakked it up.  Fruit punch isn't my favorite flavor either, yo.

The good news at the scan was that the guy offered to have my port accessed.  I was hesitant because what if the hospital uses different stuff somehow and it would have to be redone at the cancer center?  So I said, "Okay, as long as you promise me that I won't have it redone later."  I don't know know if he gets that question a lot or never, because he laughed. 

The nurse who accessed my port said I looked familier, because of my tattoos, and we tried to figure it out.  She was assisting in my port placement surgery.  We talked tattoos and vacations.

Scan...I almost started laughing outloud.  The giant donut machine tells you when to hold your breath and when to breathe, so that wasn't different.  But I don't think I've had this one before.  It said, "Breathe in, hold your breath" scan scan scan, then "BREATE!!"  And it was emphatic like that too.  There are also open and closed mouth smiley faces on the side of the machine, but I can't figure out how those are helpful because you can't really see them when you're being scanned.  At least I can't see them because I close my eyes (lasars, man, lasars).

After that, Eric whisked me off to chemo.

Which was long.

There is a nurse at chemo who is intrigued by my green smoothies.  Every time she asks me what's in it.  Yesterday, because of the scan (nothing to eat or drink after midnight) I didn't have a home made smoothie.  She commented on it, so I whipped out the smoothie from the store and let her read what was in that one.  She was impressed that I do the same thing at home just about every day.

I was seated in the middle of the chemo lounge which I think would have bothered me before.  I've had so many chemos now that it really doesn't.  At first I didn't have a chair so a nurse did vitals while I was sitting at a side table!  They were so busy in there.  So many people who are affected by cancer. 

After I got home, I crashed on the chair, begged for ramen noodles (sore throat), and slept.

I just got out of bed and feel like I could go back to sleep again.

1 comment:

  1. We're praying for a good news scan for you Sheri!
    Sara & the kiddos

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